A New Direction! (Reboot)
by Laiquahen
Summary: I've decided to reboot my story, A New Direction. Some storylines will stay the same, some will change. Some characters have stayed, some new ones will take others' places. You can still submit members of rival show choirs, if you would like!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: As some of you may know, I've decided to reboot my story, A New Direction. This is because it has been so long since I've written it, and there's some things I want to change. I have also have decided to look into adding a couple of new faces to the mix. This might mean that I have to replace a couple of characters. I don't want to announce who I'm replacing yet because I want to know what ideas you have for new characters first, because the new characters might influence who I want to keep around.**

**So this means that there's a chance for new people to send in their characters! If you've previously submitted a character (who either made it, or didn't), then you're free to submit more! Keep in mind though, that I look for quality over quantity. You have a better shot of getting a character accepted if you submit one detailed and well-thought-out character, than five you made really fast. If you have a character you would like to submit I would love that! Please send them to me over PM here!**

**Below the new intro I've put a short description of one of the main changes, so please check that out before filling out the form! The form is on my profile!**

**Enjoy the intro!**

* * *

_McKinley High. Wake up and smell the mediocrity._

_This place hasn't changed at all since I was a student here more than ten years ago. Even Candace Carson's phone number is still carved in the second stall on the boys' bathroom by the Chemistry room. The names and numbers of six other girls have been added beneath Candace's, along with descriptions of their "services". Gross. But hilarious._

Passing a row of jocks flirting with cheerleaders, Amanda Blair made her way toward the Principal's office. It all looked the exact same as when she was a student, all the same predictable teen hormone driven non-sense. At least no teen had run into her crying it. But she was sure it was only a matter of time.

_Now, you may wonder how I, Amanda Blair, promising young director of musical theatre, ended up here. It all began when I made a deal with the devil, Dominic Graham._

"So what brings you to my doorstep tonight, Blair?" Dominic Graham was everything corporate America was thirsty for. A young, white male with money to spare. So traditionally good looking, he looked like he had just stepped out of Old Hollywood. It didn't hurt that he was rarely seen out of a suit, and that he had the face of a young James Dean. Amanda typically didn't go for the clean-cut, conventionally attractive man, but there had always been something about Dominic. It didn't hurt that he had money coming at him from all angles. Money that he was currently pouring into his new passion project, the Dionysos Centre for Performing Arts in Ohio. The soon-to-open performance centre was something out of the young producer's wet dreams. All Glass, wood and concrete, so minimal yet so grand it made the architect cry when he first saw it finished.

"The Hamilton gig," Amanda replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I want it."

"Why should I give it to you?" Dominic handed her a glass of whiskey and poured one for himself. She picked up a hint of amusement from his tone. She had learned that the best way to handle Dominic was to be direct. He had a habit of growing tired of people, and nothing bored him more than timidness.

"I'm ambitious, I'm talented," Amanda stated, straightening her posture and looking directly at him. It sounded almost as good when she said it as it had when she rehearsed it in the bathroom mirror at home. "I'm young,-"

"Scrappy and hungry?" He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. His office at the theatre was one of the few completely finished rooms and was a monstrously modern thing. Every piece seem designed to function as one thing, but look like a completely abstract piece of art. She never would have guessed that the silver blob to the side was a mini-bar until he pressed a button and a door opened, revealing expensive-looking bottles.

_The Bean is shaking._

"Don't make fun of me," she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Having known Dominic for so long, he sometimes brought out the petulant teenager in her. She didn't need him to see that when she had come here to demand a job.

"Don't make it so easy," he replied, grinning.

_And there it was, that sleazy, Wolf-who-just-ate-Granny grin. With a smile like that it's a wonder my pants were still on._

"I'll make you a deal, Blair," he said, gesturing for her to sit in something she assumed was a white chair, but that could have been literally anything else. He sat in a matching one across from her, leaning back and taking a swig of his whiskey before continuing. "I'll let you direct Hamilton, if-"

He paused for dramatic effect, and it took every ounce of Amanda's will-power to not jump on him, saying she would sell her first-born if he needed it. But that's not how you play it with Dominic Graham.

"Go on," she leaned back in the stupid chair, uncrossing and then crossing her legs again, making sure his eyes trailed her movement.

"If you take over the McKinley High Glee Club and make it to Regionals," the corners of his mouth crept up as he watched the surprise take over Amanda's face. It took her two seconds to rearrange her features, but it was too late, he had caught her dismay.

"Make it to Regionals?" She shrugged like it was nothing. "You do remember I lead us to Nationals my senior year?"

"You _sang lead _at Nationals your senior year," he corrected, amusement returning to his tone. "You didn't lead anything."

"Same difference," Amanda licked her lips and leaned forward. "If I remember correctly, your group didn't even place at Regionals that year."

"Doesn't count," he lifted a finger toward her, and the family ring shone in the light of the bare lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. "I had already left."

"Once a Warbler, always a Warbler," Amanda kept eye contact with him, narrowing her eyes and relishing the slow smile he gave her. In the back of her mind she could still see him in the Dalton Academy uniform, looking like the poster boy for prep school. Always unattainable to her, and always irresistible.

"Well, if you're so confident, how about we up the stakes?"

_Curse me and my big mouth._

"Instead of just getting to Regionals, you need to win it," Dominic looked at her, challenging her with his eyes.

_This is a test. If I refuse, I'll never get the Hamilton job, no matter if I place, or win, at Regionals. If I agree and fail, I lose it. There's only one way to play with Dominic Graham, and that's to keep upping the stakes._

"And we'll wipe the floor with your Warblers to do it," Amanda lifted her glass to his. He touched his glass to hers, never breaking eye contact.

_And that, was how I found myself in the office of one, Mathias Graham._

Principal Mathias Graham was like the direct-to-dvd version of his younger brother. Less refined, more worn and homely. If Dominic was a new pair of Italian leather shoes, Mathias was that same pair ten years later, worn to death by a divorced banker and left at a thrift store when the soles were nearly gone.

"So, Amanda," Mathias leaned forward in his worn faux-lather chair, folding his hands in front of him. The office looked exactly the same as it had when Amanda was a student here about a decade earlier. Even some of the decorations looked familiar. Maybe Principal Graham had just kept all of Figgins' old stuff when he took over. Or maybe it was government instated decor to keep all principals' offices the same shade of dull. "Mandy? Manda?"

"Amanda is fine," she replied through a fake smile. No one had called her Mandy since she was ten and broke a girl's nose for shortening her name.

"Dom tells me you've been wanting to take over our little Glee club?" Mathias asked, and Amanda wondered how he taught anyone older than an elementary schooler. In all her professional life Amanda had never more seriously considered quitting due to humiliation. And that was saying a lot, as she had worked at theme parks most of her early career.

"Yes, sir," she pushed through, channeling her theme park enthusiasm. "I've just been itching to teach the children!"

"That's perfect!" Mathias threw his hands open and grinned at her. Where Dominic was the wolf fooling an innocent into his grasp, Mathias was the gullible little girl, walking right into his trap. "We've been wanting to re-start that club ever since Mr. Schuester moved three years ago. When Dom said he knew just the girl for the job, I just couldn't wait to meet you!"

He beamed at her, apparently wanting some response. Not knowing what else to do, Amanda pulled the corners of her mouth up and threw up some less-than-enthusiastic jazz hands.

_You didn't mention your brother was such a simpleton, Dom._

"But, I'm sure you know there isn't much of a budget," Mathias looked down at his desk, and then up at her, measuring her reaction. Amanda was careful to keep her face completely blank. It was public school, after all, the arts having any kind of budget was a miracle. After knowing the younger Graham for over a decade she knew when to spot a test when she saw one.

"We'll make do, Principal Graham," Amanda assured him, itching for the meeting to be over.

_I just need him to say the job is mine, then I'll get on sorting through the losers to find the Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes of McKinley, win Regionals and get out of her to direct Hamilton. Easy peasy, don't even need to break a sweat._

Mathias nodded and smiled at her, clearly relieved she wasn't demanding any money. It was almost sad to compare Mathias, who was pushing pennies to run a Glee club, with his younger brother who had more money to throw into the arts than there were shows to put on.

"You have to know how much this is going to mean to the kids," Mathias smiled at her, warmly. "Thank you, Miss Blair."

_Time to get to work._

* * *

**AN: One of the main changes that is being made in the reboot is a change of director. Amanda is going to take a very different approach to directing, she's not as nice as Everett. I don't want to give away too much, but she will make Will blackmailing Finn with drugs to get him to join the club, look like a casual Wednesday lunch break. This will obviously influence the club dynamic a lot, so feel free to add storylines that include this director's not-so-sweet tendencies.**


	2. The Start of Something New Part 1

**AN: So it's here! The first Part of Chapter 1! I'm really excited about this and I hope you are too! Please leave me a review to let me know what you think. Which character are you most excited to see more of? **

* * *

_McKinley High. Wake up and smell the mediocrity._

_This place hasn't changed at all since I was a student here more than ten years ago. Even Candace Carson's phone number is still carved in the second stall on the boys' bathroom by the Chemistry room. The names and numbers of six other girls have been added beneath Candace's, along with descriptions of their "services". Gross. But hilarious._

Passing a row of jocks flirting with cheerleaders, Amanda Blair made her way toward the Principal's office. It all looked the exact same as when she was a student, all the same predictable teen hormone driven non-sense. At least no teen had run into her crying yet. But she was sure it was only a matter of time.

_Now, you may wonder how I, Amanda Blair, promising young director of musical theatre, ended up here. It all began when I made a deal with the devil, Dominic Graham._

"So what brings you to my doorstep tonight, Blair?" Dominic Graham was everything corporate America was thirsty for. A young, white male with money to spare. So traditionally good looking, he looked like he had just stepped out of Old Hollywood. It didn't hurt that he was rarely seen out of a suit, and that he had the face of a young James Dean. Amanda typically didn't go for the clean-cut, conventionally attractive man, but there had always been something about Dominic. It didn't hurt that he had money coming at him from all angles. Money that he was currently pouring into his new passion project, the Dionysos Centre for Performing Arts in Ohio. The soon-to-open performance centre was something out of the young producer's wet dreams. All Glass, wood and concrete, so minimal yet so grand it made the architect cry when he first saw it finished.

"The Hamilton gig," Amanda replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I want it."

"Why should I give it to you?" Dominic handed her a glass of whiskey and poured one for himself. She picked up a hint of amusement from his tone. She had learned that the best way to handle Dominic was to be direct. He had a habit of growing tired of people, and nothing bored him more than timidness.

"I'm ambitious, I'm talented," Amanda stated, straightening her posture and looking directly at him. It sounded almost as good when she said it as it had when she rehearsed it in the bathroom mirror at home. "I'm young,-"

"Scrappy and hungry?" He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. His office at the theatre was one of the few completely finished rooms and was a monstrously modern thing. Every piece seem designed to function as one thing, but look like a completely abstract piece of art. She never would have guessed that the silver blob to the side was a mini-bar until he pressed a button and a door opened, revealing expensive-looking bottles.

_The Bean is shaking._

"Don't make fun of me," she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Having known Dominic for so long, he sometimes brought out the petulant teenager in her. She didn't need him to see that when she had come here to demand a job.

"Don't make it so easy," he replied, grinning.

_And there it was, that sleazy, Wolf-who-just-ate-Granny grin. With a smile like that it's a wonder my pants were still on._

"I'll make you a deal, Blair," he said, gesturing for her to sit in something she assumed was a white chair, but that could have been literally anything else. He sat in a matching one across from her, leaning back and taking a swig of his whiskey before continuing. "I'll let you direct Hamilton, if-"

He paused for dramatic effect, and it took every ounce of Amanda's will-power to not jump on him, saying she would sell her first-born if he needed it. But that's not how you play it with Dominic Graham.

"Go on," she leaned back in the stupid chair, uncrossing and then crossing her legs again, making sure his eyes trailed her movement.

"If you take over the McKinley High Glee Club and make it to Regionals," the corners of his mouth crept up as he watched the surprise take over Amanda's face. It took her two seconds to rearrange her features, but it was too late, he had caught her dismay.

"Make it to Regionals?" She shrugged like it was nothing. "You do remember I lead us to Nationals my senior year?"

"You _sang lead _at Nationals your senior year," he corrected, amusement returning to his tone. "You didn't lead anything."

"Same difference," Amanda licked her lips and leaned forward. "If I remember correctly, your group didn't even place at Regionals that year."

"Doesn't count," he lifted a finger toward her, and the family ring shone in the light of the bare lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. "I had already left."

"Once a Warbler, always a Warbler," Amanda kept eye contact with him, narrowing her eyes and relishing the slow smile he gave her. In the back of her mind she could still see him in the Dalton Academy uniform, looking like the poster boy for prep school. Always unattainable to her, and always irresistible.

"Well, if you're so confident, how about we up the stakes?"

_Curse me and my big mouth._

"Instead of just getting to Regionals, you need to win it," Dominic looked at her, challenging her with his eyes.

_This is a test. If I refuse, I'll never get the Hamilton job, no matter if I place, or win, at Regionals. If I agree and fail, I lose it. There's only one way to play with Dominic Graham, and that's to keep upping the stakes._

"And we'll wipe the floor with your Warblers to do it," Amanda lifted her glass to his. He touched his glass to hers, never breaking eye contact.

* * *

_I first met Kalyani when I was 9. She was taller than me then, and ten times as tough. Now she's shorter than me, and ten times as tough. Some of the older boys were picking on me and she stood up for me. Or, she's stop up for me, on them. She pushed the biggest boy to the ground and actually stood on his chest until he apologised. She's been my best friend since then._

"How much do you want to bet I could cheer circles around Captain Arsenic over there?" Kalyani cocked and eyebrow and glanced over at Tobias with a mischievous grin. The cheer captain, Arcelia Cortez, was a slender brunette in thigh-high boots and a mini-skirt currently making her way down the hallway like it was a runway. The other students parted for her like she was a Latina Moses. Leaning against her locker with her blunt bob and over-sized t-shirt, Kalyani did not look like she was about to part any oceans.

"Nothing," Bai shrugged, closing his locker. "You don't cheer."

"But if I did," She looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "I would be better than her."

"Yeah," he said, not sure where she was going with all of this. With years of gymnastics experience it seemed obvious to Tobias that Kalyani would be able to do tricks that the cheerio captain could only ever dream of.

"Come with me," Kalyani flashed him a devilish grin and wiggled her eyebrows. Grabbing the sleeve of his hoodie she pulled him down the hall after her, pushing through the stream of students spilling out of classrooms. Despite being nearly a foot taller than her, Kalyani kept a much faster pace than he usually did. Where he was always weaving around the crowd, trying to avoid bumping into anyone, Kalyani moved directly through groups of people.

She let go of his sleeve in front of the bulletin board with sing-up sheets. Grabbing one of the pens hanging from strings on the board she scrawled her name on one of the sing-up sheets. The name above Kalyani's was written with great flourish, the one above that was in pink pen. He recognised a couple of the names. Liliana Mendoza. Sofia Flores. _Arcelia Cortez. _Those were all cheerios.

"Wait, you're signing up for the cheerios?" Tobias asked, not quite believing what he was seeing.

"Yeah," Kalyani shrugged nonchalantly, but smiled crookedly at him.

"But that means you would be a cheerleader," he looked at her closely to see his she was kidding.

"Great observation," she said, and started walking down the hallway, toward her homeroom. Bai hesitated then followed.

"But that means you would _be_ a cheerleader," he said as he caught up with her. She was surprisingly fast, even when she wasn't hurrying.

"Yes, we established that," she replied, still not giving anything away.

"But that means you would be a _cheerleader_," he tried again, waiting for her to admit the insanity of it all. A blond football player bombed into Bai's shoulder like he didn't see him there, then shot Bai a dirty look. Bai raised his hands in apology, the jock just rolled his eyes.

"Bai, you're glitching," she threw him a glance over her shoulder.

"But that means you-"

"Would be a cheerleader, yeah," she said, and he nearly bumped into her when she stopped suddenly and turned to him. "I'm gonna be a cheerleader."

"But you hate cheerleaders," Bai lowered his voice, looking over his shoulder to make sure no cheerleaders were within earshot.

"Hat_ed_," Kalyani said, not matching his volume. "I'm changing my mind."

"But you never change your mind," Bai said.

"And you never ask questions," Kalyani raised her eyebrows at him. "Why can't I be a cheerleader? I can do all their tricks in my sleep."

"Yeah, but-"

"And I can put on a fake smile, and look hot in a miniskirt," she put her hands on her hips, and Bai looked away, hoping she didn't see him turn a few shades redder at the thought of her in the cheerleading uniform. In all their years of friendship Bai didn't think he had ever seen her in a mini-skirt. Especially not one with panels that flared out when she moved. "So why can't I be a cheerleader?"

"I'm not saying you can't," Bai tried finding the words, but he was coming up empty. He had never imagined Kalyani as a cheerleader. It wasn't that he couldn't imagine her being one, she would probably be great, but her wanting to be one did not fit with the Kalyani he knew. "I just don't get why you want to."

"I just,-" Something in Kalyani's reckless mischievousness broke away, and she tore her eyes away from him, instead looking down the hallway. When she spoke again her voice was lower and softer. "I just need something, okay? Without gymnastics, I just need _something._"

"Okay," he said, swallowing his worries. If being a cheerleader would make her feel better then there was nothing he wanted more than to see her in the uniform. "So when's your audition?"

She beamed up at him.

_I first met Kalyani when I was 9. She was taller than me then, and ten times as tough. Now she's shorter than me, and ten times as tough. Some of the older boys were picking on me and she stood up for me. Or, she's stop up for me, on them. She pushed the biggest boy to the ground and actually stood on his chest until he apologised. I think I've been in love with her since then._

* * *

_And that, was how I found myself in the office of one, Mathias Graham._

Principal Mathias Graham was like the direct-to-dvd version of his younger brother. Less refined, more worn and homely. If Dominic was a new pair of Italian leather shoes, Mathias was that same pair ten years later, worn to death by a divorced banker and left at a thrift store when the soles were nearly gone.

"So, Amanda," Mathias leaned forward in his worn faux-lather chair, folding his hands in front of him. The office looked exactly the same as it had when Amanda was a student here about a decade earlier. Even some of the decorations looked familiar. Maybe Principal Graham had just kept all of Figgins' old stuff when he took over. Or maybe it was government instated decor to keep all principals' offices the same shade of dull. "Mandy? Manda?"

"Amanda is fine," she replied through a fake smile. No one had called her Mandy since she was ten and broke a girl's nose for shortening her name.

"Dom tells me you've been wanting to take over our little Glee club?" Mathias asked, and Amanda wondered how he taught anyone older than an elementary schooler. In all her professional life Amanda had never more seriously considered quitting due to humiliation. And that was saying a lot, as she had worked at theme parks most of her early career.

"Yes, sir," she pushed through, channeling her theme park enthusiasm. "I've just been itching to teach the children!"

"That's perfect!" Mathias threw his hands open and grinned at her. Where Dominic was the wolf fooling an innocent into his grasp, Mathias was the gullible little girl, walking right into his trap. "We've been wanting to re-start that club ever since Mr. Schuester moved three years ago. When Dom said he knew just the girl for the job, I just couldn't wait to meet you!"

He beamed at her, apparently wanting some response. Not knowing what else to do, Amanda pulled the corners of her mouth up and threw up some less-than-enthusiastic jazz hands.

_You didn't mention your brother was such a simpleton, Dom._

"But, I'm sure you know there isn't much of a budget," Mathias looked down at his desk, and then up at her, measuring her reaction. Amanda was careful to keep her face completely blank. It was public school, after all, the arts having any kind of budget was a miracle. After knowing the younger Graham for over a decade she knew when to spot a test when she saw one.

"We'll make do, Principal Graham," Amanda assured him, itching for the meeting to be over.

_I just need him to say the job is mine, then I'll get on sorting through the losers to find the Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes of McKinley, win Regionals and get out of here to direct Hamilton. Easy peasy, don't even need to break a sweat._

Mathias nodded and smiled at her, clearly relieved she wasn't demanding any money. It was almost sad to compare Mathias, who was pushing pennies to run a Glee club, with his younger brother who had more money to throw into the arts than there were shows to put on.

"You have to know how much this is going to mean to the kids," Mathias smiled at her, warmly. "Thank you, Miss Blair."

_Time to get to work._

* * *

_The start of the fall term is always my favorite time of the school year. That's when all the new kids come in. Watching the new kids is so interesting. They mill about like confused ants until they start to find their groups. Everyone knows how the hierarchy in high school is supposed to work, but you never quite know where you fit until you see everyone else. I had expected I would be a little higher on the scale when I first came to McKinley, but c'est la vie._

Diana Harding sat on a bench outside McKinley watching the stream of students making their way to the entrance. The summer sun shone brightly, turning her light brown hair to gold. Generously rubbing another layer of sunscreen onto her arms she scanned the student body looking for the new kid she was supposed to guide that day. Glancing at her phone she saw she was still early, Sang-Jin probably wouldn't arrive for another five minutes. Leaning back Diana spent the time people watching, one of her favorite activities.

Spencer Barnett walked by, his arm around Liliana Mendoza. That was new. Not unexpected, but new. Diana silently wondered how long that was going to last. Two weeks would be a new record for both of them. Strolling behind them, laughing with two Latina cheerleaders was Isaiah Campbell, known around school as the most outgoing and rambunctious jock. Also, one of the nicest, if his slushy track record was to be believed. Letting other groups of people walk by Diana tried guessing which clique each new kid would belong to. It didn't take long for the game to become tedious to her. Bouncing her left leg up and down and glancing at her phone again to check the time, Diana sighed.

_Why do I always sign up for things I can't back out of?_

Actually spotting Sang-Jin when he finally arrived at McKinley, was not hard. She had been sent a picture of him by the leader of the welcoming program, so she knew who to look for, but even if she didn't, the new kid was easy to spot. With a black bowl cut, skin so pale even Diana felt tan and a slender build, Lee Sang-Jin reminded her of every member of every k-pop group she had ever seen. He wore his white t-shirt tucked into his slacks and a denim jacket at least two sizes too big. And boy, was he cute.

Diana grabbed her satchel and headed toward him, eager to finally show him around. When he spotted her he flashed her a brilliant smile and gave her a quick bow. Unsure of what to do Diana bowed back, and extended her hand to the new kid.

"Hi, I'm Diana, I'll be giving you the tour," Diana grinned up at him as he shook her hand.

"Hello, my name is Sang-Jin," the boy said, revealing a slight accent. It wasn't an accent Diana thought she would have been able to place as it was quite different from the languages she was familiar with.

"Welcome to McKinley," Diana gestured toward the main building. In Diana's opinion it was probably the least exciting building on the face of the planet, but looking at Sang-Jin's wide eyes and open mouth you would think it was the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal rolled into one. "This is the main entrance."

"Why is there no wifi?" Sang-Jin asked as the two entered the school, his phone already in his hand. Diana, being the excellent guide that she was had googled a few things about cultural differences between Korea and the US. Apparently Koreans were used to wifi access everywhere they did not have that luxury.

"Because this is public school," Diana replied, and Sang-Jin looked like she had just told him they celebrated Christmas by burning a man alive. The subject of no wifi was apparently very upsetting to him so Diana decided to try to change the subject. "So why did you choose to come to McKinley?"

"Oh," Sang-Jin brightened again. It seemed Sang-Jin was very easy to entertain. Diana could not relate. "I came to improve my English. When I come back to Korea, I am going to audition to be a k-pop trainee. Do you know k-pop?"

"Korean pop, yes, I do," Diana smiled, thanking her friend google for her new knowledge of the genre.

"Yes," Sang-Jin beamed again. "I'm going to be a trainee, then a k-pop idol. That is my dream."

"That's a very nice dream," Diana said, honestly. Sang-Jin said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Of course he was going to be a k-pop idol. Of course that was his envied how sure he was. She only ever found herself interested in something for a short amount of time, then it was off to the next thing.

As she lead Sang-Jin through the halls and told him where to find everything, Diana couldn't help but chuckle at how excited Sang-Jin was about everything. He told her all about how great he thought it was that the school buses in America were actually yellow.

"I thought that was only for the movies!" He exclaimed, and Diana had to laugh at his earnestly amazed expression. His enthusiasm for the mundane things was quite contagious. "And cereal boxes are so big here! A normal pack here is a family pack in Korea, and family pack here is enough for everyone I know."

Diana laughed so hard she accidentally snorted.

_And that is how I get_ all _the boys._

"Your laugh is funny," Sang-Jin laughed harder, and Diana felt her cheeks go red. "You sound like a pig."

"Hey!" Diana exclaimed, making a face at him. He lifted his hands and shoulders and made a face back, as if to say "sorry, but it's true". "Okay, enough about my laugh, let me show you the auditorium."

* * *

_Rule #1 of the McKinley High teachers' lounge: Do not drink the coffee._

Unfortunately for Amanda, no one had told her that before she tried drinking the coffee at the McKinley High teachers' lounge. It was generous to say it was lukewarm, and it was somehow watered down and incredibly bitter at same time. Amanda took one sip from the styrofoam cup and immediately dumped the entire thing into the trashcan.

_Okay, if I am going to make this thing a success, I need kids to join. That means I need to get the cool teachers on my side, so they can get the good kids to join. So who are the cool teachers?_

Crossing her arms, Amanda leaned against the counter and scanned the crowd at the lounge. The teachers looked just the same as they had when she was a teen, a new cast of bland middle-aged people in outdated fashion and with either boring or ridiculous hairdos. Not a single person in the room, besides Amanda herself, had any cool factor. Maybe McKinley just didn't have any cool teachers and none of the good kids would join and the entire project had been futile from the very beginning.

When the automatic door opened and allowed Lorelei Elliott to be wheeled in by a Latina in a miniskirt, it was like the show choir gods were delivering a golden ox to Amanda. The air-conditioning blew Lorelei's long black hair away from her face, she somehow caught the single ray of sunshine that filtered in through the large windows, making her pale skin glow, and her face remained unfazed by the new students gaping from outside the lounge. She was everything Amanda remembered and more.

_Gorgeous, terrifying and magnificent._

_Also, a pain in my butt._

Watching Lorelei dismiss the cheerleader after being pushed to her table, Amanda tried thinking of ways to approach the cheerleading coach without coming off as needy. If there was anyone in the lounge who could be an ally at McKinley, it was Lorelei Elliott. Lorelei had all the power Amanda needed. She had the coolest position at McKinley, she controlled the most popular kids, and to be honest, she was one of the few people from Amanda's high school days she would rather see than shoot herself in the face. Back when Amanda was in high school Lorelei had been two grades under her and the snobbiest person Amanda had ever met. Seeing Lorelei eyeing the donuts in the lounge with disgust, Amanda did not think Lorelei had changed much.

_Well, there's one big change._

Lorelei had not been in a wheelchair the last time Amanda had seen her in person. And she would have been the last person Amanda would have pegged as a cheerleading coach.

Just then someone else entered the lounge. The youngest man in the room by 20 years, as dark-haired and gorgeous as his sister, but with none of the composure and elegance. Everett Elliott was just the walking disaster Lorelei remembered.

_Oh, my poor bi heart._

Luckily for Amanda, Everett had a huge crush on her back in high school. He hadn't grown into his looks then, and was incredibly awkward around anyone he found attractive. If she were being honest, he was incredibly awkward around anyone, and Amanda would not have known he was crushing on her if Lorelei hadn't told her. Amanda was betting all she had that Everett still had some of the old feelings for her.

"Either of you know where to get coffee around here that doesn't make me want to kill myself?" Amanda sauntered over to the siblings just as Everett sat down in a chair next to his sister and placed two cups down on the table. The seductive smell of Lima Bean coffee drifted over to Amanda, making her dizzy with desire.

Everett Elliott's face was gloriously dumbfounded. His hazel eyes widened and his mouth fell open, before his face burst in a goofy grin. When he smiled like that he looked almost the exact same as he had nearly 15 years before.

_Yeah, I still got it._

"Oh my God, Amanda, hi," Everett got half-way to his feet, then seemed to regret it and almost sat down again, before thinking better of it and fully standing so he could give Amanda a hug.

_Okay, so maybe he__has changed a little bit,_ Amanda thought, feeling the strength in Everett's arms. _Pretty sure he wasn't beefy in high school._

"It's been so long, how are you?" Everett was still smiling that goofy smile that hid nothing as he broke away from the hug.

"Never thought I'd see you here again," Lorelei said, looking up at Amanda.

"I would say the same thing," Amanda said. "Didn't think I'd see you coaching the Cheerios."

"Times change," Lorelei tilted her chin up, a challenge in her eyes. Lorelei had always been someone who challenged people. She didn't like things being swept over, she had always confronted things head on. Knowing Lorelei though, the last thing she wanted was pity.

"Not that much," Amanda said, looking over at Mrs. Houston, the history teacher who had been there since time immemorial. Lorelei smiled, and gestured for Amanda to sit. If Lorelei invited her to sit she couldn't be doing too bad. "So, what does a new girl need to know around here?"

"Well, first thing is-"

"Don't drink the coffee," Lorelei interrupted her brother, who had sat down just after Amanda did. Amanda couldn't help but notice that he had scooted his chair a little closer to hers than it was before.

"Wish you would have told me that five minutes ago," Amanda made a face, and Everett scrunched his face up in apology.

"Rule #2," Lorelei continued, pointing to a table of men in vests. "Do not sit with the math teachers. They will calculate your salary from your shoes."

"Or the science teachers," Everett added, pointing his chin at a group of men and women pouring something into their coffee cups. Smoke rose from one of the cups and the group giggled and leaned closer to it. "They like blowing things up."

"Or the history teachers," Lorelei said, looking pointedly at her brother. "Unless you like intimate details of 15th century British history."

"Mrs. Houston tells interesting stories," Everett defended himself.

"Dragonlady has loved my brother since he was a student," Lorelei leaned closer to Amanda, and smirked. "And he'd marry her too if our parents approved."

"By the way, I forgot to ask," Everett said, leaning closer to Amanda to join the conversation. "What do you do here?"

"I am starting up the Glee club," Amanda said, feeling a little embarrassed to admit it. Glee club had never been cool, and even when she was part of it she had not exactly been shouting it from the rooftops.

"Really?" Everett's eyes widened again, and it seemed like his smile was about to leap off his face. That man had a smile twice the size of his face. "I've been wanting to get the Glee club back since I started here! I just don't have the time because of the Cheerios!"

"And coaching Glee is like teaching a fish to climb a tree," Lorelei scoffed. "Hopeless."

"It's a stepping stone," Amanda shrugged and leaned back in her chair. Everett's face fell, but Lorelei raised her eyebrows. "I just need to get these kids to Nationals and then I'm out of here."

"Bold," Lorelei took a sip of her coffee. Amanda could have killed for some good coffee right about then. Everett's face fell even more, but he hid it by taking a sip of his coffee. "Stupid, but bold."

"Rather that than boring," Amanda kept her eyes on Lorelei. The younger woman narrowed her blue eyes and a smirk played at the corner of her lips.

"Why don't you come to the Cheerio auditions with us this week?" She said with the wave of a hand. "See how a real audition goes at McKinley."

_Jackpot._

* * *

_I came to America with one goal, to improve my English. Then I am going to audition to be a k-pop idol._

Sang-Jin thought Diana was very nice. She asked him lots of questions about himself, so he got to practice answering questions for interviews. She smiled a lot, and was patient with him. Sang-Jin felt like he had found his first friend at McKinley.

"So, this," Diana paused dramatically next to a bulletin board filled with sheets of paper. "Is the board of sign-up sheets. I figured you might want to sign up for some clubs."

"Oh, yes!" Sang-Jin grinned at her and turned to the board. There were dozens of sheets on the board all advertising some kind of club. There were sheets for orchestra, but he didn't play any instruments, so that was off. There was something called the Muckraker, and looking closer it seemed to be the school newspaper. There were sheets for different sports, but none that caught his eye. There were other sheets for everything from student council to art to Dungeons and Dragons. It was all quite overwhelming. "What clubs are good? There are so many, I don't know."

"Oh, well," Diana smiled shyly up at him and grabbed one of the pens hanging from the board by string to point to one of the sign-up sheets. No one had written their names on the sheet yet, despite it being hung in the very middle of the board. "This is for Glee club, I- Do you know what a Glee club is?"

Sang-Jin shook his head.

"It's like a choir," Diana explained. "You sing and dance and it seems like a lot of fun. We haven't had a Glee club at McKinley in years. I figured, maybe you wanted to join with me? Since you said you're going into k-pop?"

"Yes! Lovely!" Sang-Jin grabbed a pen and quickly jotted his name down at the top of the list. He was careful to place his family name at the end. Handing the pen to Diana he looked back over the other sheets again, looking for anything that could give him an edge for his audition. Signing his name on a few more sheets, trying to make his handwriting neater each time, Sang-Jin eventually turned back to Diana, ready to keep going.

_But then I saw her._

The doors swung open to reveal the most beautiful girl Sang-Jin had ever seen. Her dark hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and when she turned her head it flew over her shoulder. Her dark, hooded eyes scanned the hallway, but she didn't see him. Sang-Jin thought his heart might stop when she smiled at someone further down the hall. Turning he was relieved to see a pretty girl in a summer dress waving back, and not some tall, broad-shouldered football player.

"Who is she?"

"Who, Ariana Grande?" Diana chuckled, but Sang-Jin didn't react. He was still following the beautiful girl with his eyes as she floated down the hallway toward a group of boys and girls. "I'm kidding. That's Arcelia Cortez, she's the captain of the Cheerios, not the cereal, our cheerleaders."

"Cheerleader," Sang-Jin whispered, and his head snapped back to the board. Frantically searching through the sheets he didn't hear a word Diana was saying next to him. "Found it!"

Quickly signing his name on the sign-up sheets for the Cheerios, Sang-Jin grinned broadly. He turned back to Diana, still beaming, and nodded that he was ready to move on with the next part of the tour.

_I came to America with one goal. Now, I have two, to improve my English, and to kiss the head cheerleader._

* * *

The sun was beating down on the McKinley high football field. Dozens of teens milled about on the field, stretching, jogging and some doing tricks. The anxiety and excitement was palpable. Tryouts for the McKinley High cheerleading squad were always an event, especially after the former gymnastics star Lorelei Elliott, took over the coaching position along with her less famous, but equally attractive brother, Everett. The two coaches had not yet arrived, but the hopeful students were already preparing for what they believed to be the most important hour of their high school careers.

A row of girls sat on the bleachers, carefully watching the others run around. They were easily distinguishable by their short red shorts and the white t-shirts proclaiming them the McKinley High Cheerios. One of the girls was chatting up a storm, telling the others all about how she spent her summer, what parties she went to, what boys she kissed, the dares she did. A couple feet away from the others another girl sat, sticking out like a sore thumb. Not only was she clutching a notepad and camera instead of a water bottle, she was also dressed in a loose sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms. While the other girls watched the new recruits with an almost predatory disinterest, she was smiling at them and waved if she spotted someone she knew. While most of the new kids and all the returning cheerleaders were wearing their hair in the trademark Cheerio ponytail, or their best impression of it, Aminah Cham's head was covered by a black hijab.

"Oh my gosh, Aminah, hi!" A petite brunette strolled up to the bleachers wearing the white t-shirt and red bottoms of the returning cheerios.

"Hi, Sofia," Aminah beamed up at the sweet Latina. Sofia Flores had always been one of the sweetest girls on the cheerios, known for her sunny disposition and can-do attitude.

"Are you here to audition?"

"No, I-"

"Of course she isn't, dummy," Elena Perez, Sofia's less-sweet best friend shot in. "You can't cheer in a headscarf."

_Can't cheer in a headscarf? Apparently you can't think with a high pony. Some people stopped evolving in the second grade._

"Oh, right, that's too bad," Sofia pouted and cocked her head. "If you were on the squad we could hang out so much more! It was so nice when we were little and I would do your hair!"

"Oh, and you have really nice hair!" A third girl, the chatty one whose name Aminah believed was Liliana, added. "Shame you don't show it off more."

"Yeah, girl, work what you got," Sofia grinned at Aminah, clearly meaning well. Aminah just smiled awkwardly and looked down at her sneakers, praying the conversation would be dropped. "Why don't you join the squad though, you'd be so good!"

"She can't, Sof, it's like, against her beliefs," Liliana gave Sofia a look, and the sweeter cheerio's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh, that's too bad you can't cheer with us!"

Aminah shot them all another forced smile and turned to tune something on her camera, hoping they wouldn't see the wetness of her eyes. It was nothing new. She heard those kinds of things everyday, yet she always hoped that it would be different. That she could be something other than "the muslim girl". Not that she could tell the cheerleaders that. She turned the anger she could feel building in the pit of her stomach into focus as she adjusted the settings on the camera.

* * *

_I have never been one to back down from a fight. Even when I should. Even when it's me against three guys that are older than me and bigger and could probably beat me up. But standing my ground, even when it is stupid, usually works out for me. It's how I met my best friend._

_That said, joining the Cheerios might be a fight I should never have taken up in the first place._

Bending down easily to touch her toes, Kalyani wondered if joining the Cheerios was really what she wanted. She needed something to fill her days, to keep her from tearing up the walls of her bedroom. She had already re-painted them twice over the summer. She needed something new to do, now that she had quit gymnastics. At least on the cheerios she would get to kind of keep up her training. At least she still got to perform.

"Isn't that the gymnastics girl?" One of the other

"I thought she was _never joining the cornflakes_?" Another girl whispered back, referring to a drunken speech Kalyani had made at a party Liliana threw. It was the one, and so far only, of Liliana's parties that Kalyani had been to, even though the two had been partners in crime since Freshman year. Somehow drunkenly telling everyone that she would never stoop so low for popularity that she would be a cheerleader, did not make her all that popular with the cheerleaders. The week after that party she had received so many slushies she gave up on changing out of her wet and sticky clothes.

Feeling the glares from the other cheerleaders, Kalyani took a deep breath and focused on her stretches.

Maybe starting a fight with anyone and anything wasn't the easiest way to get through life.

* * *

"Is it true muslims can't cheer?" Aminah overheard Sofia whisper to Elena. She tried to tune them out, but their whispers sounded like screams.

"Have you ever seen a muslim cheerleader?"

"No"

"Then duh, they can't."

_Just keep it in, Minah. Their words don't matter._

"Even if they could, her dad would like, never let her," Liliana said, barely bothering to keep her voice down. "I heard he's really strict."

Aminah's vision went black for a second. Anyone who knew her dad would know that he had never forbidden Aminah from doing anything. Except eating four sundaes in a row when she was nine. Aminah bit her tongue to keep from snapping at Liliana,

Just then she heard a cluster of sharp intakes of breath next to her and looked over to see Coach Everett Elliott walk onto the field with head cheerleader Arcelia Cortez strutting behind him. Everett Elliott really fit the bill of tall, dark and handsome, and as soon as he set foot on the football field every head turned toward him. Having a crush on Coach Elliott was a bit of a rite of passage for the cheerios. She barely noticed her feet propelling her over to the table before she was standing in front of the coach.

"Coach Elliott, I want to try out too," Aminah said to Everett, making sure to make eye contact with him. He looked up at her a little confused. From what Aminah had seen of him before that was his usual expression. "I didn't get a chance to put my name on the list, but I'm here. Please let me try."

"Uhm, I'm not sure I can," the young coach looked apologetic, scrunching up his nose and rubbing his neck. He seemed genuine, like he was actually sorry. Aminah braced herself for the humiliation of returning to the bleachers in defeat. "The tryouts are kind of crowded and we only have so much time-"

"We're over-crowded as is, but you can come back next year," Arcelia added, without apology, from where she was bent over the table and making notes next to names on a clipboard. With how short her shorts were Aminah was surprised she didn't see her ovaries.

"I really am sorry," Coach Everett said, dropping his hands. "If you stick around until the end, maybe there's time."

"She wants to join the squad?" An intimidating woman in a red suit asked Everett as she strode over to the table. Aminah thought she knew most people at McKinley, but the woman must be new. She probably wasn't taller than Aminah, but somehow felt like she towered over her. Even Coach Everett didn't look as tall as usual next to her. The woman turned her brown eyes to Aminah, taking her in and making a face of approval. "Bold move. You should let her try. She'll try harder than anyone else."

"Trying hard isn't a magic cure, Amanda," a woman said as she wheeled her wheelchair over to the table. Even if she didn't claim to know every faculty member at McKinley, Aminah would have known Coach Lorelei Elliott. The coach was famous around McKinley for being a ruthless perfectionist, fuelled by her years as a gymnast. She was also famous among the boys for having the "sexiest face" at McKinley. With ivory skin, black hair and striking blue eyes, Aminah understood it. Coach Lorelei's eyes stared into your soul and found every flaw. Lots of people would find that attractive.

"I didn't say that," Amanda locked eyes with the coach, a challenge hanging between them. Aminah and Everett looked anxiously between the two, while Arcelia studied each of their faces with a smirk lurking at the corners of her mouth. "But a little drive never hurt anyone."

"Fine," Lorelei folded her arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair. She didn't break eye contact with Amanda, who remained stoic with her hands on her hips. "Go warm-up, we start in five minutes."

"Thank you," Aminah felt her face break out in a huge smile, not quite really the cool and collected cheerio she found herself auditioning to become, but at least she was getting a shot. If it wiped the smiles off Liliana and Elena's faces that was good enough for her. The head cheerleader raised her eyebrows, but handed Aminah the clipboard and pen. Aminah wrote her name down in her neat hand, feeling her heart hammering away in her chest.

"I'm taking over Glee club," the intimidating one, Amanda, said, leaning against the table and crossing her arms. "If this doesn't work out, come and see me."

Aminah nodded to her, and flashed her a tight-lipped smile before handing the clipboard back to Arcelia. Holding her head high she went out on the field to stretch, relishing the baffled looks the cheerios on the bleachers gave her.

* * *

When Sang-Jin pictured his experience as a student in America, he had not pictured himself as a cheerleader. He had tried to picture himself in every American coming-of-age movie there was. Did he see himself as Danny Zuko, a absolute stud who found a girl with a heart of gold? Definitely. Did he find himself in Troy Bolton's shoes, singing lead in the musical with a beautiful smart girl at his side? If you took away the basketball, then absolutely. Would he impregnate a girl who would then give the baby up for adoption to a couple that divorced at the end? Hopefully not, but what an experience.

The point was, Sang-Jin had prepared himself for Grease, High school Musical and Juno. He was not so prepared for Bring It On. So when he spontaneously found himself trying out for the Cheerios, he was a little lost at first.

The tryout consisted of last year's cheerleader, Arcelia Cortez chief among them, teaching the hopefuls a routine, which they were meant to perform one by one afterwards. The moves felt awkward at first, it was a very different way of moving to what he was used to. Staying focused on his goal, figuratively on making the team and literally on Arcelia, Sang-Jin managed to keep up. He thanked himself for never missing a dance lesson.

After going teaching the people trying the routine, half of last years cheerleaders turned to watch the hopefuls go through it. Arcelia stood in the middle, scanning the group through narrow eyes. Sang-Jin put on his best show smile and really tried to put his all into the moves. He noticed Arcelia watching him, and if he wasn't fooling himself, he could have sworn a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

* * *

Aminah's triumph lasted for approximately four minutes, until the actual try-out began and all the hopefuls lined up on the football field and had to follow the previous cheerleaders through a routine. The moves were hard, but Aminah found that if she just kept her eyes on Sofia she could make it through. Whenever she caught the cheerio's eye, she gave Aminah a quick smile, but looked away immediately.

_You can do it, Minah. Years of dancing in your bedroom has prepared you for this._

"Watch it, Bin Laden," a girl hissed in her ear when Aminah was a second too slow on one of the moves. A chill went down Aminah's spine, followed by a wave of heat. Biting her tongue and staring intently at the cheerleaders in front of her, Aminah instead focused on following the steps.

With a fire in the pit of her stomach Aminah focused all her attention on performing the moves the cheerleaders in front were demonstrating. She found she could actually do the moves, she was doing good! Maybe not as good as the girl a few feet away who looked like she could fold herself into a suitcase if needed, but she was keeping up. The anger that fuelled her was replaced by something else, something stronger.

Pride.

* * *

"So Kalyani Kapoor is in, no discussion," Lorelei stated as she wheeled into her office followed by her brother and Amanda. She had agreed to let Amanda stick around for the discussion, so she could get a sense of how these things worked at McKinley.

"Agreed," Everett said, putting a check next to Kalyani's name on the list. Amanda made a mental note to get that girl in the glee club too. A few well-placed somersaults and other tricks always did well with the audience at competitions. "And all the old girls are still in?"

"Drop Cindy," Lorelei said dismissively. "She missed the most practices last year, I can't let the others think they can get away with it."

"Her mother had cancer though," Everett scrunched his face up and looked at his sister. "Shouldn't-"

"Excuses," Lorelei interrupted her brother, shrugging. He looked up at her, hazel eyes pleading. Lorelei's blue eyes stared back, not budging. It was amazing how similar the two looked, yet how different they were. Looking at their features it was no surprise they were siblings, but they could not be more different in demeanour. Even in a wheelchair Lorelei took up more space than her brother. Finally rolling her eyes, Lorelei caved. "Fine. But have Celia give her a warning."

"Shouldn't a coach do those warnings?" Amanda asked, genuinely curious why they would leave it to a teenager. Usually warnings came from superiors, not peers.

"Yes, but I don't care, and Celia is more intimidating than him," Lorelei smirked at her brother, who seemed unbothered. "He's a labradoodle, that girl is a doberman."

_And you're a pitbull. Does she classify everyone as a dog-breed? Not a bad way to live. Wonder what I am. Honestly, I'm more of a cat person._

"Okay, what about Aminah then?"

"She had guts to come up and ask for a tryout despite being late, I'll give her that," Lorelei pursed her lips. "She did alright, with training she could keep up."

"So she's in?" Everett asked, one side of his mouth pulled up in a smile.

"But," Lorelei said, raising a hand. Everett's face fell. "She's going to stand out like a sore thumb on that field."

"True," Amanda shrugged, pursing her lips.

"The headscarf is one thing," Lorelei scratched her chin with one finger. "But if she won't wear the uniform, we have a problem."

"But she can wear the pants?" Everett suggested, looking over at Amanda for support. She was not prepared to give it. "You wear pants all the time."

"I'm not performing, am I?" Lorelei raised an eyebrow. "The fact of the matter is that if she does not wear the regular skirt and top, she'll look out of place. We'll look sloppy."

"If we don't let her join because of her beliefs we look racist," Everett replied, the most assertive Amanda had heard him sound. She could not deny she was into it. "I don't know about you, but I think one is much worse."

_Okay, time to work my magic._

"May I make a suggestion?" Amanda let her words hang, watching the siblings take in her proposal. Lorelei nodded and raised her eyebrows, and Everett lowered his. "Give her a test. Let her get on the squad. Give her the normal uniform. And see what she does."

* * *

_McKinley High School has a strict hierarchy. It's the usual, found at every high school across the 50 states of our circus of a country. At the top there's me. The head cheerleader. No one can tell me what to do, and I can tell everyone else what to do. Good for everyone else that I'm smarter than them._

Passing a crowd of freshman who all turned to stare at her as she passed, Arcelia Cortez made a show out of tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. Having passed the first week of her Junior year in civilian clothes, it felt good to be back in uniform. Something about the little red skirt and high pony gave everything Arcelia did that little _je ne sais quoi. _All eyes were on her as she strutted down the halls. Girls turned green with envy and boys drooled.

Three girls, all dressed in the same uniform, joined their captain in making their way down the hall, each carrying a couple of red boxes. It was like a slow motion montage of the Plastics, all eyes on them, some non-existent wind blowing their hair out of their faces. Lillian Mendoza blew a kiss to a boy as they passed and the kid's knees gave out.

_Okay, so it's not just me on top, there's also the rest of the squad, and the jocks. Football team is way at the top, but basketball and soccer do pretty good too. Unless you're a girl jock, then you're mid-tier. If you're nice and straight. If not, it's the basement for you._

A beefy blonde in a soccer uniform was leaning in close to a girl in a cheerleading uniform. The cheerio rolled her eyes and skipped over to Spencer Barnett, who gave her a wink and put his arm around her. The girl in the soccer uniform sighed and moved on down the hallway.

_And that brings me to why everyone is so obsessed with me today. I mean, more than usual. I am carrying out my first official duty of the year as Cheer captain. Delivering the uniforms._

_Each new member of the Cheerios gets their very own uniform today. How exciting. It's thrilling seeing their stupidly excited faces when I hand them the red box, and to see their friends, who did not make the team, turn green. Guess who won't be best friends in a week?_

"Here you go, Simone Biles," Arcelia said, handing a red box to Kalyani Kapoor, who was clearly trying to hide her excitement. For someone who had always claimed that she was too good for cheerleading, Kalyani had suddenly changed her tune. Arcelia made a mental note to look into it later.

Turning to move on to her next target, Arcelia nearly collided with a massive shape. Furrowing her brow she looked up at the tall boy she could have sworn had not been there until that very second.

"Move," she flicked him away with her wrist, and he scrambled. _Oh, the be 5'2" and this powerful._

_Life really is easier when you're popular. You don't have to worry about weaving your way through people to get to class, everyone just moves out of your way. Teachers tend to forgive late papers if you blame it on practicing for the big game. And there's the freedom. If a popular kid wants to do something seen as lame, it's cute and relatable. If a jock also plays piano in the orchestra? He's well-rounded._

Isaiah Campbell waved at the murder of cheerleaders as they passed him, and Sofia Flores waved back.

_But if an orchestra geek wanted to join the cheerios?_

Liliana whispered something to Elena as they passed Meredith Clarke, McKinley best cellist and arguably most socially awkward, and Elena laughed.

_They're just pathetic._

"Congrats, Asiyah, you made the squad," Arcelia unceremoniously handed Aminah a red box. "Be at practice on Monday 7 am. Coach likes to weed out the weak."

"Okay, thank-" Aminah didn't get to finish her sentence before Arcelia had turned on her heel and walked away.

_So being a cheerio is a safety net. It lets you make a lot of less than cool choices, and still remain on top. If I weren't this pretty I would have been a nerd for all my straight As. No one cansay that when I'm the most popular girl in school though._

Handing out the last box to an Asian boy who didn't say anything, just stared out her with his mouth hanging open a little bit, Arcelia dismissed the other girls and headed out to her car.

_So you could say my life is pretty good. I'm popular, definitely getting into a good college, and I can pretty much have any boy I set my eyes on. There is only one little problem in my life._

Stepping out of the school and floating down the stairs toward the parking lot, Arcelia's day suddenly darkened. A brunette was standing next to her car. A brunette so far down the social hierarchy, she didn't even deserve to be mentioned.

"Get in the car," Arcelia snapped as she got closer, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one saw the other girl. "I told you to meet me around the block."

"Sorry, Celia, I-"

Arcelia sent the other girl a cold, hard stare.

"Sorry, Arcelia, but come on," the other girl tried again, but Arcelia waved her away.

"Get in the car," Arcelia slid into the driver's seat of her red Ford Fiesta.

_There is only one little problem in my life._

_And her name is Hazel Aria._

* * *

**AN: I hope you enjoyed that! Please remember to leave a review, I love to know what you guys are thinking! And if you can't get enough, then head over to the tumblr to ask some questions!**


	3. The Start of Something New Part 2

**AN: So here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a review to let me know what you think, and let me know what you feel about the addition of the * to indicate when you should start playing the song. I also wanted to mention that the bolded text indicates that it is a text message.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

"What part of 'wait by the abandoned Blockbusters' did your pea-brain not understand?"

"Uncle Ethan said we would drive together from school," Hazel said, finally sitting up. Not only did Arcelia make her sit in the backseat like a child, she also told her to crouch down until they pulled away from McKinley so no one would see her. "That means from school, not from the creepy Blockbusters!"

"It's not that creepy," Arcelia said, making a right turn. "You're such a wimp."

"Do you want me to get kidnapped?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Arcelia stated, checking her mirrors. "Besides, if anyone wanted to kidnap you they would have done it ages ago."

Hazel did not know how to take that.

"Can't I just meet you at school?" Hazel pleaded, hating that she had to stoop so low. "No one is going to think anything."

_For the record, I don't really want to be seen with Celia Cortez, dear leader of the Cheerios, either, but even riding in the back is better than taking the bus._

"On Monday you either meet me at Blockbusters or you're taking the bus," Arcelia said, not looking at Hazel. Having lived with Celia for almost a month now, Hazel had learned that Celia really did not do discussions, at least not with Hazel. Celia thought she was smarter than everyone else, and whatever Celia wanted, she got.

"But-"

"But nothing," Arcelia said. "I wouldn't even let you in my car if you weren't Ethan's charity case, so you can either follow my rules, or walk. Your choice."

Hazel slumped back in her seat and stared out the window. Several minutes of tense silence followed, with Hazel watching the telephone wires and contemplating jumping out the window. If she got a concussion she could probably get out of classes for a while and not have to ride with Regina George Jr.

"Also, Dad and Ethan are out of town tomorrow," Arcelia explained, and Hazel rolled her eyes because she had also been there when they said they would be gone that night. "And I'm throwing a party."

"Okay, I'll just stay in my room, making no noise and pretending that I don't exist."

"No, you're going to do me one better, Dobby," Arcelia said, pulling into the driveway of her father's house. "You're not going to be there."

With that Celia slid out of the driver's seat and headed inside, leaving Hazel grumbling in the backseat.

* * *

**Just put on the uniform. Pls send help.**

Looking at herself in the mirror, Aminah wanted to scream. She had just zipped up the skirt of her cheerleading uniform, and was looking at herself as a Cheerio for the first time.

_My entire butt is out._

At least, that's what it felt like. Turning around and watching the pleats fan out Aminah made a face. She was pretty sure she owned underwear that covered more than the shorts under the skirt. She hadn't thought about the uniform when she made the decision to try out for the Cheerios. She hadn't really thought about anything except wiping that smug smile off Liliana Mendoza's face. Aminah hadn't thought she would actually make the team.

**Pics?**

Filling her cheeks with air, holding it for a second and then letting it go, Aminah snapped a photo to Diana. Falling back on her bed and staring at the ceiling Aminah wondered how she had managed to convince herself that joining the cheerios would be a good idea. She knew what the uniform looked like. She knew she wasn't comfortable with it.

_And yet…_

Her phone vibrated in her hand, and Aminah turned her face to see multiple notifications from Diana pouring in at once.

**OMG**

**That's really short**

**You look good but that length is offensive**

**The people that design these things know we're under-age, right?**

** Doesn't seem like it**

**I feel like porn**

**Gross**

**What are you going to do?**

Looking away from her phone to stare at the ceiling like it would give her an answer, Aminah felt the knot in her stomach grow three times its original size. In her mind, Aminah had three options. 1. Wear the uniform, feel like an abomination. 2. Return the uniform in shame on Monday and admit defeat. 3. Leave the country. Only one of them seemed like a valid option.

Sitting up in bed Aminah took one last look at herself in the mirror.

* * *

By the end of the first week of classes the students at McKinley had already begun settling into their cliques. The jocks and cheerleaders from last semester had stuck together since day one, along with the rest of the student body who were somewhat resigned to their current place in the hierarchy. The people trying to climb up in the system still had a chance to break into a cooler clique than their current one and were wandering the cafeteria looking for people to sit with. The cheerleaders had received their uniforms the day before, and even though they weren't required to wear them until Monday morning when practices started up, most of the Cheerios were already back in their red numbers. Included among them was Sang-Jin who proudly strutted his uniform, even though he was having lunch with Diana.

"And yesterday we went to an Italian restaurant," Sang-Jin told her, eagerly biting into his pizza, then making a face. Having eaten most lunches with him that week, Diana had gotten used to his rollercoaster of emotions. First he would get incredibly excited about lunch, then crushingly disappointed when he took the first bite. "Breadstix, do you know?"

"Yeah, it's the go-to date place in Lima," Diana told him, taking a sip of her water. Sang-Jin looked shocked at her statement. "One time a guy here, Spencer, took three girls there on dates in the same day."

"It was awful," Sang-Jin said, his face deadly serious. Diana laughed, but he didn't seem phased. "Their breadsticks were too salty, it was so expensive, and the garlic bread wasn't sweet."

Diana laughed loudly, causing some people further down to stare at her and roll their eyes. She couldn't help it, he looked so offended at whatever it was he had been served. It took Diana a second to take in what he had actually said.

"Wait, you want garlic bread sweet?"

Sang-Jin nodded seriously, but before Diana could ask him more about his questionable taste in Italian food, someone appeared next to her.

"Di, please tell me the tots are good today," Aminah said as she plumped down in the seat next to Diana, slamming her tray on the table. Diana could tell from just that that Aminah had not had a good day. "It has been a day."

"Did Tobias Blake finally confess his undying love for Kalyani Kapoor?" Diana asked in a scandalised tone. "Or did Spencer Barnett declare he is done with girls and will focus on his education?"

Aminah chuckled and smiled bleakly, but Diana saw that her effort had not really paid off. From Aminah's damp face, red-tinged eyes and the faint smell of blueberry that clung to her, Diana could tell Aminah had been already been slushied that day.

"I actually did hear that Avery Shaw is claiming he'll be top of the class over Arcelia Cortez this year, that could be something to cover later on," Diana said casually, trying to get Aminah's mind off the slushying. Aminah nodded absent-mindedly and stabbed a tater tot with her fork. Sang-Jin was staring at Aminah with wide-eyes. Diana prayed Aminah didn't notice. "Did you figure out what you're going to do about the uniform?"

"Let's not talk about it," Aminah shoved a tot in her mouth, quickly followed by another. From next to her Diana could feel the frustration radiating from her. Aminah usually kept it in, but the girl could store a lot of anger. Sang-Jin didn't seem to notice and kept staring at her, wide-eyed.

"What are you staring at?" Aminah snapped at him, and Diana bit the inside of her cheek.

"Your scarf," Sang-Jin replied, smiling and not missing a beat. "It's so nice. Your fashion is very good."

"Oh, uhm, thanks," Aminah looked taken aback, and turned to Diana with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, as if to ask where exactly Diana had found this guy. Diana just shrugged and smiled, relieved that Aminah seemed more confused than angry at that point.

"Minah, this is Sang-Jin," Diana said, gesturing at Sang-Jin with her free hand. He waved at Aminah from across the table. "Sang-Jin, this is Aminah, she's on the school newspaper with me."

"It's nice to meet you, Aminah," Sang-Jin said, pronouncing Aminah's name slowly and carefully.

"You too," Aminah smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Are you auditioning for Glee too?" Sang-Jin asked, eyes lighting up. He seemed to have abandoned his pizza half-eaten and was opening a cup of yoghurt instead. Diana couldn't wait for the adorable look of disappointment that would no doubt cross his face as he tasted the first spoonful of bland artificial strawberry flavour.

"I haven't really thought about it," Aminah answered, and flashed him a quick smile Diana could tell was fake from a mile away. Sang-Jin scooped some yoghurt up from the cup, and sure enough, his nose scrunched up and he stared at the cup in distaste.

"Do you know what song you want to do for the audition?" Diana asked, hoping to save Aminah from having to answer the million questions Sang-Jin always had about everything. She found it endearing, but she was sure other people could find it tiresome.

"I have an idea," Sang-Jin answered, but his eyes had drifted and were focused on something behind Diana. She didn't feel like she needed to turn around to know who was behind her.

* * *

"So, there's a party tonight," Kalyani said, ripping her pizza in two and folding one half. She sat on the opposite side of their usual table, speaking loudly to be heard over the roar of all the other students. This was the first day he had spotted girls on cheerleading uniforms that semester, but Kalyani still wasn't wearing one. She was still in her usual uniform of t-shirt and bomber jacket. "It's to welcome the new cheerleaders or whatever."

"Okay," Bai said, also ripping his pizza in two. He had gone to McKinley long enough to recognise that cutting the pizza with a knife would take much too long and leave the pizza lukewarm.

"So I'm going," Kalyani said, still casual. Tobias felt his stomach tighten, as he realised that Kalyani would be a lot busier now that she had cheerleading than she had been during the summer. Even when she did gymnastics he could usually count on her being free after 8pm, and most weekends. Between practice for cheerleading and all the new friends she would no doubt make, he could already feel himself sliding down her list of priorities.

"Okay," he replied, taking a bite of his pizza and trying to not look too bothered.

"And I don't want to go alone," she said, biting her lower lip and looking over at him. He looked up at her, uncomprehending.

"Isaiah's probably going," Tobias shrugged. He didn't understand what Kalyani not wanting to go alone to a cheerleading party had to do with him. "You can hang out with him."

"Yeah, but all his friends are there," Kalyani said, giving Tobias a meaningful look. Tobias furrowed his brow in confusion. "Like, his actual friends at school, not the losers he hangs out with when no one else is around."

"You're not a loser," Tobias said, simply, because she wasn't.

"Bai, look at where we're sitting," Kalyani chuckled, leaned toward him and nodded her head toward the rest of the table. She had a little bit of grease on the corner of her mouth, all the way over to the little birthmark on the left side of her mouth. Tobias realised he was looking too closely at her mouth and made a point of looking down the table. The seats next to them were empty, but further down sat the girl from orchestra that everyone said was rude, but whom Isaiah seemed to like, a bunch of boys who looked like they belonged with the kids from Stranger Things, and a girl it was rumoured had eaten half her hair after a teacher told her that her crush was inappropriate. Needless to say they were not the most popular bunch. "We're losers."

"Okay, but you're gonna be a cheerleader now," he looked back at her, feeling bitter already. "You can sit with anyone."

"Okay, but that's not my point," Kalyani said, taking another mouthful of pizza. "My point is that you should come to the party with me."

"No," Tobias said, taking another bite of his own pizza.

"Yes," Kalyani replied.

"Kali, I don't belong at a cheerleader party," Tobias tried to explain. He really could not see himself at a party full of jocks and cheerleaders, it just was not a place where he could imagine himself feeling even remotely comfortable.

"Me neither," she said, raising her voice a little bit, as if excited. "So we can make fun of everyone!"

"But you do belong," Tobias sighed, raising his shoulders. "You're a cheerleader."

"Doing cheer doesn't make me a cheerleader," Kalyani contradicted, rolling her eyes.

"I think it does," Tobias wrinkled his nose a little.

"Still not the point," Kalyani pointed a finger at him, shoving the last of her pizza in her mouth. She took a deep breath and a little bit of the fight seemed to go out of her, and she looked over at him with big eyes. "I just think it would be more fun if you're there."

"Isn't Liliana gonna be there? You're friends with her."

"Yeah, but she's gonna be somewhere making out with what's-his-face all night," Kalyani made a face and Tobias chuckled. He had seen Liliana out with her new boyfriend over the summer, but Liliana had been too busy kissing him to notice Tobias and Kalyani. "I'd rather be somewhere not making out with you."

Tobias tried to not make too much of a face at the thought of making out with Kalyani, instead focusing on his pizza.

"Please," Kalyani whined, in a tone he hadn't heard from her in a long time. It was very rare for her to resort to strategies like that, it was more something he expected from Liliana. Maybe being a cheerleader had already gotten to Kalyani. "I swear I will never ask you to come to another party ever again."

Tobias didn't answer, just kept eating his pizza. Maybe if he ignored her the party would go away.

"You can pick the movie for movie night every week the next month," Kalyani offered, "And I'll get the snacks."

Tobias didn't answer.

"For the price of one little party," Kalyani stretched over the table to hold one finger up in his field of vision. "You can win unlimited popcorn for a month!"

Tobias chuckled, and when he looked up at her from under his lashes she was grinning at him with all her teeth.

"Fine, I'll go," Tobias gave in, letting go of the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "You're the worst."

"And you're the best," Kalyani beamed at him, and Bai couldn't help but smile back. He could already feel that this party was going to be awful, but the warmth that spread in his chest when she smiled at him melted his worries.

* * *

* "It's not working, so stop fronting," Sang-Jin got up to follow Arcelia as she passed. "I know you want me, let's start talking."

_A, I already know everything_

_So why are you hiding_

_It's written all over your face that you like me_

_A, why do you look away_

_I know everything, A, A_

_When I feel someone looking at me_

_I glance back and you're always there (Hey Girl)_

_Even if you turn your head and look far away_

_Even if you pretend not to be surprised_

_I know why you hang around me_

_A, I already know everything_

_So why are you hiding_

_It's written all over your face that you like me_

_A, why do you look away_

_I know everything A, A_

Sang-Jin spun around as he passed Arcelia, sliding quickly by her and walking backwards so he could look her in the eye. She raised an eyebrow as he sang to her, and he made a heart with his hands, then pointed to her and nodded so she would know he was really singing at her. Arcelia rolled her eyes, but Sang-Jin could have sworn he also saw her smile.

Unfortunately he didn't get a good look and he lost any smoothness he might have had as he crashed into a trashcan and tripped. Falling to the floor, Sang-Jin looked up to find that Arcelia had already gotten in line for food. He quickly scrambled onto the table behind him, trying to regain his composure.

"Hey, girl," he smiled and tilted his head back when she looked over at him again. Grabbing a tray from the table he held it up in front of his face to hide. He slowly lowered the tray to sneak a peek at her, but quickly raised it when she glanced over at him. When he thought she had looked away he tossed it over his head. Diana had followed him and was caught by surprise as the tray landed in her hands.

A row of cheerleaders stood behind Arcelia, all looking at Sang-Jin with different levels of disinterest. When Sang-Jin smiled at them and waved, some giggled. Getting up on the table Sang-Jin danced a very energetic dance that had all the cheerleaders laughing. The people eating looked offended, but moved their trays so he could dance. Diana bit her lip and apologised to the people sitting at the table.

_You think I don't know your mind_

_That unawareness makes you look cute (So cute)_

_Though I wanna keep pretend that I don't know_

_I can't go on like this any longer_

_I know it all, come on over here_

_Don't run away anymore_

_A, I already know everything_

_So why are you hiding_

_It's written all over your face that you like me_

_A, why do you look away_

_I know everything A, A_

After getting her pizza Arcelia strutted toward the exit, and Sang-Jin jumped off the table, hurrying to catch up with her. Following her out of the cafeteria and out to what Diana had explained the students called "the steps", Sang-Jin slumped into a seat across from Arcelia.

The head cheerleader seemed oblivious to the lovestruck idiot sitting across from her, so to get her attention Sang-Jin jumped out of his seat and ran over to the steps. Leaping up onto the steps and then doing a backflip off them, Sang-Jin got everyone's attention, with the exception of Arcelia, who was too busy with her food.

Sighing, Sang-Jin beamed at the other cheerleaders and gestured for them to join him. Sharing a look the other cheerleaders shrugged at each other, abandoned their food and ran up to join Sang-Jin on the steps. Following him they performed an upbeat dance with a lot of jumping.

_Don't hide from it, let's have 'something'_

_Look at me oh don't be so shy_

_What are you afraid of I'm not all that good either_

_But I think we'll make one hot couple_

_Let this be our first day_

_I wanna walk around holding hands_

_Quit wasting time now what are you gonna do_

_When will you stop running away, huh?_

Walking slowly down the steps toward Arcelia, who was finally looking up at him, Sang-Jin had everyone's eyes on him. Sliding into the seat next to her, Sang-Jin gently placed a hand on her cheek. She raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, clearly a challenge. Sang-Jin slowly leaned in toward her, hovering a few inches away so he could keep rapping. His stomach was in knots as he stared into Arcelia's deep brown eyes.

_A, I already know everything_

_So why are you hiding_

_It's written all over your face that you like me_

_A, why do you look away_

_I know everything A, A_

_A, I already know everything_

_So why are you hiding_

_It's written all over your face that you like me_

_A, why do you look away_

_I know everything A, A_

Losing his nerve and breaking away, Sang-Jin leapt back up to the cheerleaders on the steps to continue dancing with them. Arcelia kept looking at him, a wicked smile playing at her lips. Sang-Jin felt like his feet had wings and he had butterflies in his stomach. He didn't notice Diana glaring at Arcelia from the other side of the table.

One of the other cheerleaders ran down from the steps, and grabbed Arcelia by the hand. The cheerleader pulled Arcelia up to dance by Sang-Jin, who felt his heart skip a beat and heat rising in his cheeks. Arcelia smiled up at him, a genuine smile this time, not her usual smirks. The other cheerleaders kept singing and dancing all around them, but Sang-Jin only had eyes for Arcelia, who also seemed to only see him. Grabbing her face with both hands, Sang-Jin leaned down, hovering a few inches away from her face. He was just about to lean down the last few inches to kiss her when Arcelia wrapped her arms around his neck and closed the distance between them.

_It's not working, so stop fronting_

_I know you want me, let's start talking_

_It's not working, so stop fronting_

_I know you want me, let's start talking_

"Thank you," Amanda said shortly as Sang-Jin finished his song, pulling him back into reality.

"Thank you," Sang-Jin said, bowing deeply to her from the waist. As Sang-Jin jumped off the stage and came bouncing over to sit next to Diana, she smiled at him and gave him two thumbs up.

"Okay, Diana Harding, you're next!" Amanda called out.

"Wish me luck," Diana breathed out as she headed up to the stage. Sang-Jin was too caught up in his fantasy to really pay any attention to her audition.

* * *

Tobias Blake was used to being invisible. He liked being invisible. No one could leave you if they didn't know you existed in the first place. Unfortunately for him, Kalyani did not like being invisible. Kalyani liked being invincible. That was why Tobias was awkwardly standing in the corner of the party with a red solo cup of coke while Kalyani was over on the other side of the room demonstrating beam moves on the back of a couch. Tobias tried to ignore the way the football players looked at her.

"Yo, Bai, she actually got you to come!" Isaiah shouted over the music and threw an arm around Tobias' shoulders. Isaiah was the type to be friends with everyone. He was a jock now, but Tobias and Kalyani had been friends with him for years and they still played basketball together "Where is the spitfire, anyway?"

Tobias gestured over to Kalyani on the couch. She had stopped demonstrating and was instead sitting on the back of the couch, a football player with blindingly white teeth and perfect hair leaning on the couch next to her. Tobias looked away quickly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Isaiah asked, making a face. Isaiah was one of the few people who know how Tobias felt about Kalyani, not that Tobias had ever admitted it. Isaiah had never pushed Tobias to talk about it, it was just an unspoken thing between them.

"No, I'm okay," Tobias said, giving Isaiah half a smile. Isaiah did not look like he believed him, but sighed and slapped Tobias on the back before being pulled away by another guy from the soccer team. Tobias stayed looking at Kalyani, who was laughing at something the guy next to her said.

* * *

Hazel Aria had never been a big fan of her small stature. It often made people mistake her for a child, and while that could sometimes be a blessing, it mostly got in the way of people taking her seriously. Hazel was also too morally upstanding to take full advantage of her ability to pass for younger than she was, so while other people might use it to get cheaper tickets to aquariums, movies or theme parks, Hazel found herself to be too good for that sort of behaviour.

Crouched in the bushes outside her uncle's house though, Hazel counted herself lucky for her height, and questioned her own morals. Spying on her "cousin" wasn't the most innocent thing she could be doing on a Friday night, but as Hazel observed from her spot beneath the living room window, neither was how Celia was spending her night. Holding on to the wall for support, Hazel carefully peaked in through the window. Inside a horde of teenagers were sprawled throughout the living room. A group was dancing in the middle of the room, while some leaned against the backs of couches, just talking. Nothing seemed too out of hand just yet. Hazel spotted Liliana Mendoza making out with Spencer Barnett on a couch.

_So that's still on._

Making a face Hazel moved on to another window to avoid getting more of a show from Spencer and Liliana than she was willing to see. Having essentially been kicked out of the house by Arcelia, Hazel had decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to get her hands on some blackmail. Living with Arcelia she was sure it would come in handy. Looking in the next window Hazel saw much the same as she had seen from the first one, a lot of teens, clearly under the influence. Fishing her phone out of her bag, and double checking that the flash was off, Hazel snapped a photo of the festivities, before moving to the window outside the kitchen.

_Jackpot_.

Arcelia sat on the kitchen counter talking to a group of guys Hazel recognised from the football team. Celia had a bottle of wine in her hand that Hazel recognised from Ethan and Antonio's liquor cabinet, and was generously drinking directly from it. Quickly taking a photo for evidence, Hazel smiled and snuck away.

* * *

"So how much tit did you have to show Bai to get him to come tonight?"

"Very funny," Kalyani rolled her eyes and closed the door to Arcelia's room, while Liliana plumped down next to the bed. The shorter girl raised her eyebrows at Kalyani, who threw her arms out in exasperation. "None!"

"Okay, I'm just surprised he's here," Liliana made a face like she clearly did not believe the other girl. Moving over on all fours in front of the bed, Liliana stuck an arm under the bed and reached for something. She seemed more drunk now than when she had been making out with Spencer on the couch. "He hates all of us."

"He doesn't hate you," Kalyani folded her arms. Lillian raised her eyebrows again. "As much as he hates the rest."

"Oh, babe, he hates me more," Liliana laughed and fished a bow out from under the bed. "Because I steal you away."

"It's not like that, and you know it," Kalyani rolled her eyes again, and shook her head. Lilliana had been insisting that Tobias was in love with her for years. Or at least that he wanted to sleep with her, which was even more unsettling to Kalyani.

"It is, but whatever," Liliana shrugged and opened the shoebox. Turning her head over her shoulder to look at her friend, she flashed her a wicked smile. "When he finally gets the courage to confess to you, can you make sure it's after Homecoming? I have a bet with your sister, and I don't want to lose."

"Yes, I'll just tell him now is not a good time for a declaration of love," Kalyani leaned against the door, arms still folded. "Please ask Liliana and she will set you up with an appointment."

"Oh my God, can you do that? It would be perfect!" Liliana looked genuinely excited as she took a pink hip flask out of the box.

"Shut up," Kalyani playfully kicked Liliana's hip. "How much tit do I have to show for you to let it go?"

"More than you have," Liliana made a face at Kalyani, who immediately pounced on her to tickle her. Liliana screamed and struggled. "Fine, whatever, I'm done. For tonight."

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Letting go of the shorter girl, Kalyani sat down on the bed.

"Oh, I have the best idea for a prank," Liliana was suddenly excited again, seemingly having forgotten until that moment what she had actually brought Kalyani to Arcelia's room for, besides retrieving a hip flask she had left at the head cheerleader's last party.

"Okay, shoot."

"You know how Dragonlady hates me?"

"Because you talk or fall asleep in her class," Kalyani said, and Liliana rolled her eyes. "But keep going."

"So, she gave me a C last term," Liliana paused for second, waiting for the other girl's shocked reaction. She didn't get one. "I almost didn't get the grades for cheerleading, like, I almost had to quit."

"The tragedy of the century."

"Shut up," Lilliana waved her answer away. "I want to get even, I want to prank her so hard she'll never give a bad grade again."

"Sure, but how?"

"You know how she always drinks from that dumb cup with the cats on it?" Kalyani did know. Mrs. Houston, a.k.a. the Dragonlady, always drank her coffee from a cup with three fluffy kittens, all wearing knitted sweaters, that said "You are purr-fect". It was the most disgustingly sweet cup in the universe, and did not match the vibe of its owner at all. "I want to spike her coffee."

"And?"

"What?"

"You want to spike her coffee and then?"

"Oh, right," Liliana thought for a second. "We'll spike her coffee, a little bit each class, so she doesn't know she's getting drunk. Then, we get someone to tell on her to the principal. Obviously he'll need to look into it, and then she'll be suspended and she can't give me bad grades anymore."

"Sure, Lil," Kalyani narrowed her eyes, wondering at the validity of a plan Liliana had clearly made up while intoxicated.

"So, are you in?" Liliana looked at Kalyani with big, expectant eyes.

"Sure, but you have to bring the booze," Kalyani shrugged. It didn't really matter to her how good the plan was, it was a break from the boring everyday at McKinley. "My mom would kill me if they found alcohol on me at school."

"Fine, Scaredy-Cat," Liliana winked at Kalyani and headed out of the bedroom. Kalyani followed a beat behind.

* * *

Having decided that she was going to quit the Cheerios first thing on Monday morning, Aminah had also decided to take the one opportunity she had to go to a real popular kids' party. There was no more popular kid than Arcelia Cortez, and being invited to one of her parties, even if it was just because she was supposed to be a cheerleader now, was probably going to be a superficial highlight of Aminah's high school career. At least that was what Diana had convinced her of, when she begged Aminah to take her to the party.

"Looking for someone?" Aminah raised her eyebrows at Diana, who was watching the stream of teens milling around the living room with faux nonchalance. She was very clearly looking for someone, and Aminah didn't need to guess twice what, or rather who Diana's latest obsession was.

"Hmm? Me? No," Diana shook her head a little too vigorously. "Why?"

"You are so obvious," Aminah laughed at her friend and bombed her with her hip. They were both wearing their most party appropriate clothes, which, when they looked around, they realised wasn't exactly what this crowd considered party wear. Aminah wore a long black shirtdress over a zebra-print turtleneck, while Diana wore jeans and a flowy blue top. The rest of the girls were mostly in dresses or crop tops. Diana had let Aminah do her make-up, so at least their faces were beat. "You're looking for the new kid, what's his name?"

"Sang-Jin," Diana replied without thinking. Aminah gave her a look, and Diana sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I'm looking for him. But only because I'm worried! I think party culture is different in Korea. He's not used to this."

"Oh, I think it's different alright," Aminah giggled as she spotted Sang-Jin over on the other side of the room. Diana's head whipped around when Aminah pointed to the boy. He was chugging a green bottle of something, while a bunch of guys from the football team cheered.

"New kid, new kid, new kid!" The boys chanted as Sang-Jin continued drinking. A drop of clear liquid spilled down his jaw as he finished drinking and held the bottle out, upside down, to show that it was empty. The other boys roared and slapped him on the back. Sang-Jin grinned at them, breathing heavily. Looking casually over his shoulder his mouth fell open and his eyes widened as he spotted Diana and Aminah on the other side of the room.

"Diana! Aminah!" Sang-Jin skipped over to them and threw his arms around the girls, hugging them to him. He smelled of cologne and alcohol. His shirt was a very nice and shiny material, Aminah made a mental note to ask him later where he got it. Then she remembered the answer was probably Korea, and thought better of it. "I have friends!"

"I can see that," Diana smiled up at him. "Are you having fun?"

"So fun!" Sang-Jin nodded enthusiastically. "And so loud!"

"Good!" Diana kept smiling up at him, and Aminah bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. Looking at him Aminah could see what Diana saw in him. He was a very pretty boy, and he dressed well. Aminah might need to ask about that blue silky shirt after all.

"And this?" Sang-Jin pointed at the bottle in exasperation. "So expensive!"

"What is it?" Diana asked.

"Soju, you want to try?" Sang-Jin asked, holding the bottle out to her, seemingly forgetting it was empty.

"No, thank you, I'm good," Diana held up her cup of coke to show him.

"Oh, you're smart!" "Responsible! I am not, I want more soju. See you!"

With that he stumbled past them and into the kitchen.

"Are you sure your boy is straight?" Aminah laughed as he left. "Because with that shirt I would not be sure he's straight."

"Oh, he likes girls all right," Diana sighed, gazing longing into the kitchen where Sang-Jin had gone. Turning to look, Aminah spotted Sang-Jin with a fresh green bottle of soju, leaning against the counter next to Arcelia. When he offered the bottle to her, she took a swig and made a face that made him laugh. "Cheerleader pretty girls, at least."

"Aww, you think I'm pretty?" Aminah grinned at Diana, big and toothy. Diana didn't answer, just took another sip of her coke, staring over at Sang-Jin. "Come on, we're not spending our one cheerleader party sighing over some boy."

Aminah took Diana's cup from her and placed both of their cups on the table, grabbing Diana's hand after and pulling her to the dance floor.

* * *

**_*_ **Tobias did not need to turn his head to know that Kalyani had returned from wherever she went with Liliana. Something about her pulled his attention like a magnet. Liliana was also very loud, so it was hard to not hear when she came back.

"Oh, I love this song!" The tiny cheerleader exclaimed, and Tobias saw her pulling Kalyani with her to the dance floor. The taller girl laughed and joined the dancers. Kalyani always danced like no one was watching. To be fair, he had rarely seen her dance with other people around, except himself, and he did not feel like he usually counted as people. He felt a pang of jealousy watching her in the crowd and cursed himself. She was having fun, and she deserved that. Just because he was a stick in the mud, that did not give him the right to be jealous. Liliana had grabbed her boyfriend and was dancing very closely with him. Bai felt embarrassed just looking at them and decided that staring at his hands was much safer.

Tobias:

_Somebody said you got a new friend_

_Does she love you better than I can?_

_It's a big black sky over my town_

_I know where you at, I bet she's around_

Despite dancing, Diana couldn't help but glance over her shoulder to see if Sang-Jin was looking at her. He wasn't, he was too busy laughing at something Celia had said.

_Diana and Tobias:_

_Yeah, I know it's stupid_

_I just gotta see it for myself_

Trying to resist the urge to look back at the kitchen, Diana threw herself into the dancing. She spun around, jumped up and down, grabbing Aminah's hand and spinning her around. The other girl laughed and sang along with the song at the top of her lungs. It was hard to hear anyone's voice over the roar of the music, and the other dancers shouting along. Diana couldn't help but laugh. She was at a cheerleading party, at the head cheerleader's house, dancing with her best friend, surrounded by drunk classmates. The boy she had a crush on was flirting with said head cheerleader. In terms of high school clichés, Diana was pretty sure she had just peaked.

_Diana and Tobias:_

_I'm in the corner_

_Watching you kiss her_

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm right over here_

_Why can't you see me?_

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm giving it my all_

_But I'm not the girl you're taking home_

_Ooh ooh ooh_

_I keep dancing on my own (I keep dancing on my own)_

Aminah couldn't tell if it were the atmosphere or the fact that she would probably never party with these people again, but she felt free to dance however she wanted. Tossing her head around and jumping up and down, Aminah felt just the way she did when she was dancing alone in her bedroom. More and more people kept joining the dancing, but pressed against the bodies of people she didn't really know, Aminah didn't feel crowded. She felt free in the crowd, unseen.

She caught Diana looking over her shoulder at the kitchen, and grabbed her hand to pull her over to the other side of the dance floor, away from temptation.

_Aminah:_

_I'm just gonna dance all night_

_I'm all messed up, I'm so outta line_

_Stilettos on broken bottles_

_I'm spinning around in circles_

"Dance with us," Kalyani suddenly appeared in front of Tobias, and grabbed him by the hand. She didn't wait for him to answer, just pulled him after her to the other dancers. Tobias felt big and awkward and self-conscious dancing. While Kalyani always danced like no one was watching, Tobias danced like everyone was watching and he had no idea what he was doing.

Kalyani elbowed him in the side and gestured toward Spencer and Lilliana, who were dancing next to them. That is, Bai couldn't really tell if they were dancing or making out. Kalyani turned to him and stuck her tongue out in the disgust. Tobias laughed at her and momentarily forgot to feel awkward about his dancing.

_Diana, Tobias and Aminah:_

_I'm in the corner_

_Watching you kiss her_

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm right over here_

_Why can't you see me_

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm giving it my all_

_But I'm not the girl you're taking home_

_Ooh ooh ooh_

_I keep dancing on my own (I keep dancing on my own)_

Dancing next to Kalyani, Tobias felt like everything suddenly moved in slow motion. Her hair floated around her face when she moved, some of it clinging to her forehead. He didn't think about how other people could be watching him. He didn't care about other people.

_Tobias:_

_So far away, but still so near_

Aminah closed her eyes as she danced, feeling the music vibrating in her bones.

_Aminah:_

_The lights go on, the music dies_

Diana looked over to the kitchen, but didn't see Sang-Jin and Celia there anymore.

_Diana:_

_But you don't see me standing here_

Aminah took a second to look around and take it all in. It was a lot more fun on the inside. She realised to her surprise that she would miss this.

_Aminah:_

_I just came to say goodbye_

Suddenly, it was like everyone at the party had decided that they needed to join the dancing. Everyone pushed onto the dance floor, pressing everyone closer to each other. Kalyani was pushed into Bai's chest, and his arms instinctively went around her. She laughed up at him, wrapping her arms around him. Tobias didn't move his arms, keeping them around her to keep the surrounding dancers from pushing her into his chest again. Tossing her head back and forth, Kalyani danced in the circle of his arms, still pressed into him by the throng of dancing teens.

_All:_

_I'm in the corner_

_Watching you kiss her_

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm giving it my all_

_But I'm not the girl you're taking home_

_Ooh ooh ooh_

_I keep dancing on my own (I keep dancing on my own)_

Diana didn't notice Sang-Jin coming to the dance floor until his arm was suddenly around her shoulder. His laughter was in her year, loud and infectious. He was also singing along to the song, but even over the music Diana could tell that he wasn't getting all the words right. Diana shared a look with Aminah, who shrugged and kept dancing. Catching sight of Arcelia dancing next to Sang-Jin didn't even bother Diana. She was dancing, he was dancing, everyone was dancing and nothing could stop her from having fun.

_I'm in the corner watching you kiss her_

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm right over here_

_Why can't you see me_

Everything was loud and bright and too much, but Aminah loved it. She never wanted the party to end. In that moment, she was more free than she had ever felt before.

_Oh oh oh_

_I'm giving it my all_

_But I'm not the girl you're taking home_

_Ooh ooh ooh_

_I keep dancing on my own (I keep dancing on my own)_

* * *

"Best party ever," Sang-Jin exclaimed as Diana pulled out of the driveway of Arcelia's house. Diana had managed to convince him that letting her drive him home was better than him trying to find his way home on foot. Diana didn't really know where he lived, but trusted that he would be able to figure it out with a little help from google maps. Currently Sang-Jin was too busy telling Diana and Aminah how amazing the party had been. "We have to go to all the parties here!"

"I wish," Aminah sighed from the passenger side.

"Why you wish?" Sang-Jin leaned forward in between Diana and Aminah, if his seat belt didn't hold him back Diana was sure he would have crawled all the way to the front. "We can go to all the parties?"

"You can go to all the parties," Diana said calmly, keeping her eyes on the road. "Aminah and I probably won't be invited."

"Why not?" Sang-Jin looked between the two girls.

"Because they're cheerleader parties," Diana said, driving out onto the main road. "And we're not cheerleaders."

"But Aminah is a cheerleader?"

"I'm quitting on Monday," Aminah said, looking out the window. "I can't wear that uniform."

"But they have sizes!" Sang-Jin offered, not quite understanding what the problem was."You can get a bigger size!"

"It's not the size that's the issue," Diana said, making a face. Sang-Jin was sweet, but there were things you just didn't say to people you don't know well.

"I'm just not comfortable with the skirt," Aminah explained, turning to face Sang-Jin, who still leaned all the way forward between their seats.

"But there's pants," he said, brow furrowed. "Are you comfortable with pants?"

Aminah blinked. She was comfortable with pants. Yet somehow that solution had never presented itself to her.

"Sang-Jin, you're a genius!"

"Wait? What just happened?" Diana asked.

"I just figured out what to do about the uniform," Aminah fell back into her seat with a smile. "Best party ever."

* * *

Trophy upon trophy lined the shelves on one wall of Kalyani's room. Tobias had been there when she won almost all of them. If you told him the date and what place she got he could tell you what song she performed to, and in most cases what costume she had worn. He realised that if he weren't her best friend he would have been such a creep.

Kalyani's room was almost as familiar to him as his own. He had helped her repaint the walls of that bedroom twice over the summer, once to a deep forest green and the next time to its current shade of pale blue. It had taken a ridiculous amount of layers to get rid of the green and the blue on the walls now was still a little greener than the can had said it would be. Kalyani had just been happy to have something to do, and Tobias had been happy sitting in the middle of the room DJ-ing as she bounced around.

"Was the party okay for you?" Kalyani asked when she came out of the bathroom. She was wearing gym shorts and an over-sized t-shirt with a group of pokémon on the front that Bai was pretty sure she had stolen from him a couple of years before. He didn't think it would fit him anymore, and it probably looked better on her anyway.

"Yeah, it was fun," Tobias said, shrugging. He looked over at the wall to his left where a poster of Simone Biles and one of Captain Marvel that Kalyani had taken from the movie theatre after they went to see the movie, hung. After years of friendship he had learned that he could lie to her more easily if he didn't look at her.

"Bai," Kalyani raised her eyebrows at him. Kalyani stepped into his field of vision, blocking his view of the posters. He still wasn't good at lying to her. "Look at me."

Tobias reluctantly looked up at her. Even sitting on her bed he didn't need to look up a lot to meet her eyes.

"I'm drunk, but I can still tell when you're lying," Kalyani said, placing her hands on her hips. Tobias wanted to look away again, he wanted her to drop it, but Kalyani never dropped anything. "You didn't have a good time, did you?"

"No, I didn't," he sighed, looking down at the floor.

"Why not?"

"Because I would rather just be with you," Tobias said softly, hoping Kalyani was drunk enough that she wouldn't remember any exact things he had said the next morning. Knowing her all that would be on her mind in the morning was food.

"I was there," she said, sitting down next to him. The smell of alcohol still clung to her, along with a fruity face wash. Her face was still a little wet, and a drop of water clung to her eyelashes. "You could have been with me."

"A lot of other people wanted to be with you too," Tobias said, making a face at her. He knew he was probably pushing his luck, but it was late and she was drunk. If he couldn't say anything now he couldn't say anything at all.

"Don't be so greedy," Kalyani joked and made a face back at him. He smiled a little at his hands, and Kalyani wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he leaned his on hers. Sitting like this Tobias felt the tension in his shoulders ease, while the knot in his stomach tightened. They sat like that for a minute and Tobias was scared to breathe too loud and ruin the moment. After a while she moved her head and looked up at him. "You know you're my best guy, right?"

"I know," Tobias whispered, rubbing his hands together, not looking at her.

"And you're still gonna be my best guy," she said, clumsily brushing his hair out of his face. "No matter who else is around, okay?"

"Okay," Bai said, chuckling. Her attempt at getting his hair out of his face was just making it worse, the long parts kept falling back into his face again. She sighed and gave up.

"You're my best friend," she nuzzled her face into his neck. Her breath tickled at his throat, but he didn't mind. "A cheerio skirt doesn't change that."

Bai couldn't bring himself to look at her. If he did she would see his doubt. Maybe she would still see the image of her sitting next to the boy with the perfect hair dancing in his mind. He swallowed hard and tried to make his mind blank.

"Baaaaai," she slurred a little, and pulled his face towards hers. The alcohol was heavy on her breath, along with the mint from her toothpaste, and she was much too close. He could count her dark eye lashes and see the different shades of brown in her eyes. The little mole on the left side of her mouth. "I promise that we won't let it come between us, okay?"

"Okay," he breathed, not trusting himself to say anymore.

"Okay," Kalyani flashed him a bright smile, but it dimmed quickly and she furrowed her brows. Her thumb clumsily caressed his cheek. "Why do you still look sad?"

"I'm just scared to lose you," Tobias said before he could stop himself.

Kalyani wrapped her arms around him again. It took him a second to get his bearing enough to hug her back. With his face pressed against her shoulder she didn't smell like alcohol anymore, she just smelled like Kalyani. Holding her close he wanted to drown in that moment.

"Stay a little bit," Kalyani said, breaking away from him. She didn't wait for him to answer, just grabbed her comforter and wrapped it around herself before moving to lay down. He got up and turned the light off, waiting until Kalyani had laid down before moving to lay down beside her. She gave him the pillow without asking, and put her head on his chest instead. Tobias had been staying over at Kalyani's house ever since they became friends, always with the door open. When they were young they used to fall asleep playing video games, one on each end of the bed. When Tobias had his growth spurt and Kalyani complained about his stinky feet in her face, she had him sleep next to her instead. He had stayed over a lot of nights over the summer, rubbing her back until she fell asleep.

Kalyani curled up next to him, pressing herself close to his warm body. Wrapping an arm around her to hold her close felt natural, and the smell of her shampoo was soothing. He chuckled when she pushed the cuffs of his jeans up with her toes and pressed her cold feet to his calf.

"Love you," Kalyani mumbled, and yawned. He smiled and breathed in the scent of her shampoo. He relished little moments like this with her, when she was sleepy and soft. It was rare that Kalyani was so still, and he loved getting to be next to her when she let her guard down.

* "Love you too," he whispered, holding her a little tighter. She chuckled a little and nuzzled her face in his neck. He wasn't really tired, the knot in his stomach still worried him. Tobias kept looking up at the ceiling and listening to Kalyani's breathing growing slower and softer next to him. The way the guy at the party had looked at Kalyani kept him awake. An image of her laughing next to him swam into view every time he closed his eyes.

Glancing down at her, he found that she had already fallen asleep. Her dark lashes fluttered gently and her mouth hung open slightly. She looked younger when she was asleep, more like the girl she had been when he first met her. She had lost weight the last few months, she looked sharper, her bones more protruding. Some of the softness had been chipped away.

Looking up at the ceiling and waiting to fall asleep, Tobias' mind flitted between memories of her.

Oh, I can't fight this feeling any longer

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out this friendship has grown stronger

I only wish I had the strength to let it show

And even as I wander

I'm keeping you in sight

You're a candle in the window

On a cold, dark winter's night

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

Kalyani at 9-years-old with skinned knees beaming down at him from the top of a tree, approximately twenty seconds before the branch broke and she landed on top of him, breaking both their arms.

Kalyani at 10, crashing into him with a trophy in her hand after winning her biggest competition so far.

Kalyani at 12, spending all her allowance at the arcade so they could win matching Avatar: the Last Airbender keychains.

Kalyani at 13, personally offended that he had the audacity to actually grow taller than her.

Kalyani at 17, soaking wet and sobbing at his doorstep.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars, forever

'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crushing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

Maybe it was time to tell her how he felt. What was there to lose? If he told her and she didn't feel the same way, he might lose her. He pulled her closer without thinking, and she made a sleepy sound, but stayed asleep. On the other hand, if he told her, and she did feel the same. His heart skipped a beat. He didn't dare let his thoughts linger on that possibility for too long.

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you

I've been running around in circles in my mind

And it always seems that I'm following you, girl

'Cause you take me to the places

That alone I'd never find

Without meaning to he imagined what it would be like if she felt the same way. He imagined holding her hand when they walked down the hallway, her walking just in front of him. Her fingers were long and slender, but her hands were rough. She would look over her shoulder to smile at him, and his heart fluttered. He could wrap his arms around her when he wanted to, not just when she wanted comfort. The beating in his chest quickened, thinking that if she felt the same way, then he could kiss her too.

And even as I wander

I'm keeping you in sight

You're a candle in the window

On a cold, dark winter's night

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

He tried swatting the thoughts away, but couldn't help but think of what her lips would feel like. How she would taste. Butterflies fluttered around in his stomach when he thought about being able to lean down and have her on her toes to meet him half-way. He knew her as well as he knew himself, and sometimes felt like she knew him better than he knew himself, but there were so many things he still longed to know. Tobias silently wondered if she would look different to him if he could kiss her when he wanted to. Would her smile still make him weak in the knees? Would it still send a shiver down his spine when she called his name? Would warmth still spread through his body when he smelled her on his clothes? The smell of her always lingered on his clothes after he had spent the night. He smiled, wondering if she would notice his scent on her pillow in the morning.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars, forever

'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crashing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

Sighing, Tobias brushed a stray lock of dark hair away from Kalyani's face. He had wanted to tell her how he felt for years, but he knew he just didn't have it in him to take that chance. The idea that she might not feel the same way and he would ruin everything was too terrible to risk. The idea that he could tell her how he felt and have her feel the same way was a beautiful dream, but not worth risking their friendship over. He would stay at her side, always there when she needed him, satisfied with sleeping next to her.

* * *

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed this part of the chapter! There is a third part to the first chapter coming. Please leave a review to let me know what you think so far!**

**If you would like to submit a character for a rival show choir (a student or director), there is absolutely room for that!**

**Songs featured:**

**A - Got7**

**Dancing on my own - Robyn**

**I can't fight this feeling - REO Speedwagon (I listened to Corey Monteith's version when writing)**


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